San Jose de Buenavista, Antique
November 8, 2022

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. placed a heavy emphasis on the importance of preemptive evacuation and the readiness of evacuation centers during natural disasters as he led the situation briefing on the effects of Tropical Storm ‘Paeng’ in the Province of Antique.

“Preemptive evacuation is always a good idea. Basta maitabi mo ‘yung tao, take them out of the area of danger, then you’re way ahead,” said the President as he urged local chief executives from Antique to find ways to convince their constituents as they can hardly be blamed for not leaving their properties and livelihood during such disasters.

In a report by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Region VI, there are 42 recorded human casualties in Western Visayas. Among the causes of deaths are drowning, flashflood, landslide, cardiac arrest, hypothermia, difficulty of breathing and electrocution.

President Marcos Jr. pointed out that Antique’s worst losses came from the destruction of infrastructures and ordered the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Region VI to prioritize the rehabilitation of bridges and roads as these serve as networks in transporting goods, services and people within the Province.

An estimated PhP1.77 billion in damages to infrastructure was reported in Western Visayas, with PhP497 million worth of these losses incurred by the Province of Antique.

The Chief Executive also received situation reports from regional directors of the Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Department of Health (DOH) on the onslaught of Paeng in Antique and the rest of Western Visayas.

Under Proclamation No. 84 signed by the Chief Executive on 2 November 2022, Region VI (Western Visayas), along with Region IV-A (CALABARZON), Region V (Bicol Region) and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) were placed under a State of Calamity in order to “hasten the rescue, recovery, relief and rehabilitation efforts of the government and private sector”, as well as “effectively control the prices of basic necessities and prime commodities” to give the government ample flexibility to execute relief operations and rehabilitation measures.

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